putting any buttons (power or not) on the taskbar is a bad bad idea. I'd rather have the full length of taskbar for my own use.

Start button was not a bad idea but system tray icons and the "show desktop" button introduced in Win7 are surely are. "It's simple, just add a button to taskbar" is a bad design - think years of system tray abuse, weird toolbars by everyone including Microsoft.

You know, I actually had a look at the default state of the taskbar/system tray in Windows 8, and realized that, if you put the cogwheel icon there you could even theoretically eliminate the existing system tray icons (or make them hidden), since they are both duplicated in the settings charm.

Before:After:

If that's considered to be too radical, after all the icons serve to inform you of the network status, signal strength and volume level, so you might want to have them in permanent view (even though Microsoft have decided against that in the Metro environment and have even decided to eliminate the time, so, who knows really) then another option would be to hide the disclosure triangle and only have it appear when you hover over the system tray area. In that case you would end up with the same number of icons in the default state.

Combine the two suggestions, and you could even eliminate all three icons from the task bar. Which you could also achieve by integrating the system tray into the Settings Charm somehow, although Microsoft would probably want to prevent that from happening.

The elimination of these icons would in fact be more consistent with the Metro environment than it currently is, and would, as Dot Matrix might say, "reduce clutter". At that point the task bar in its "natural state" would essentially consist of 3 visible UI elements, search icon, settings icon, the launcher, plus the clock. And since all (including the clock) are relevant both to the Metro environment as well as to the Desktop environment, at least as soon as Metro apps get their spot on the task bar, you could, at that point, allow Mouse/trackpad users in Metro's full screen mode to move their cursor to whatever screen edge they have their task bar positioned at, and have the task bar be temporarily revealed, for increased consistency with the Desktop environment. In fact, if a mouse or trackpad is used as the input device, right-clicking to show the Metro app bar might bring up the task bar at the same time.

People happily use multiple UI's on your tablet, phone and PC. Nobody is complaining about it when you start using it, even when it's radically different from Windows (iOS and Android)
We'll learn and use it without much thought.

MS decides to change the UI in Windows towards a unified start menu/platform and the whole world just plain hates it and would love to see MS burn.....
Just stick some of that open mindness into W8 as you did when you picked up a iPad or Nexus for the first time.

All these 'radical changes' in the Metro UI and shoving Metro icon onto the desktop are kinda pointless, small enhancements are needed.
e.g. move the power options linke shutdown, hybernate etc. under the user dropdown on the start screen. It was the first place I looked after installing W8, as so many others.
e.g. fix the tiles, like custom rows counts for large resolutions, and maybe add the WP8 size options to the startscreen.
e.g. consolidate more Windows options menus (or all) into Metro, -or- make the current ones on the desktop more Metro alike to make them more alike.
e.g. fix the jarring animation from Metro to desktop when you start an app. This is also a big issue for many.

All small stuff and easily fixed imho. Let's hope that Blue project will fix some of the most glaring issues with W8/Start Menu, but overall it's a nice v1.

I am sorry I do not have my computer on 24/7 like everybody else here. for 18 hours, there is no need for it to be on or even in sleep. I am at work for 10 hours (8 hours and 1 hour travel time each way), and I sleep for 8 hours. 18 hours that the computer is not being used. So I turn it off. Not sleep....not hibernate....turn it off...with an SSD, there is no benefit from having it sleep or hibernate.

Also, what do you want people like me to do that do only use their computer extensively for the remainder of those 6 hours? I have a mac, so I boot between OS X and Windows 8 a lot during the day. Having such an option might not benefit you, but it would benefit me and businesses I am sure. It annoys me to hell having to click Desktop 3-6 times every day to get to the desktop. I am never in the Start Screen except for that first boot.

Reading the comments here I get the feeling DotMatrix works for the sales department for Microsoft Windows division.
But reading these comments, and alot of other comments on the net, the majority of comments want 2 things:
1. Boot to desktop.
2. Tabbed taskbar for multitasking/switching apps.

If you do work for Microsoft Dot, and it sure as hell sounds like you do - make the UI guys add them features to Windows Blue and EVERYONE will be happy.

* p.s. Even though DotMatrix presents himself as a die hard fan of Windows 8 - SOME (far from being most) of his arguments are valid... and could be incorporated into OPs original post.

You know, I actually had a look at the default state of the taskbar/system tray in Windows 8, and realized that, if you put the cogwheel icon there you could even theoretically eliminate the existing system tray icons (or make them hidden), since they are both duplicated in the settings charm.

Before:After:

If that's considered to be too radical, after all the icons serve to inform you of the network status, signal strength and volume level, so you might want to have them in permanent view (even though Microsoft have decided against that in the Metro environment and have even decided to eliminate the time, so, who knows really) then another option would be to hide the disclosure triangle and only have it appear when you hover over the system tray area. In that case you would end up with the same number of icons in the default state.

Combine the two suggestions, and you could even eliminate all three icons from the task bar. Which you could also achieve by integrating the system tray into the Settings Charm somehow, although Microsoft would probably want to prevent that from happening.

The elimination of these icons would in fact be more consistent with the Metro environment than it currently is, and would, as Dot Matrix might say, "reduce clutter". At that point the task bar in its "natural state" would essentially consist of 3 visible UI elements, search icon, settings icon, the launcher, plus the clock. And since all (including the clock) are relevant both to the Metro environment as well as to the Desktop environment, at least as soon as Metro apps get their spot on the task bar, you could, at that point, allow Mouse/trackpad users in Metro's full screen mode to move their cursor to whatever screen edge they have their task bar positioned at, and have the task bar be temporarily revealed, for increased consistency with the Desktop environment. In fact, if a mouse or trackpad is used as the input device, right-clicking to show the Metro app bar might bring up the task bar at the same time.

Or the user picture might actually work as well, if you consolidated the default Microsoft-provided system tray icons for the battery status, wifi strength etc. into a single click target. It would then be implied that clicking on them gets you to the systemwide settings (charm). And Microsoft could do the same to the user tile on the Start Screen (sort of how others have already proposed it in this thread), eliminating the need for the Settings/power icon there . Although I've never used it, it appears that that is kind of what Chrome OS is doing.

Or the user picture might actually work as well, if you consolidated the default Microsoft-provided system tray icons for the battery status, wifi strength etc. into a single click target. It would then be implied that clicking on them gets you to the systemwide settings (charm). And Microsoft could do the same to the user tile on the Start Screen (sort of how others have already proposed it in this thread), eliminating the need for the Settings/power icon there . Although I've never used it, it appears that that is kind of what Chrome OS is doing.

Anyway, just a thought...

I know Microsoft toyed around with the user tile in the tray in the early Windows 8 alphas. You may see the return of that someday in some form.

Reading the comments here I get the feeling DotMatrix works for the sales department for Microsoft Windows division.But reading these comments, and alot of other comments on the net, the majority of comments want 2 things:1. Boot to desktop.2. Tabbed taskbar for multitasking/switching apps.

If you do work for Microsoft Dot, and it sure as hell sounds like you do - make the UI guys add them features to Windows Blue and EVERYONE will be happy.

* p.s. Even though DotMatrix presents himself as a die hard fan of Windows 8 - SOME (far from being most) of his arguments are valid... and could be incorporated into OPs original post.

I don't. But depending on how far Microsoft further integrates the Metro UI to what's left of the old Win32 UX, you may never get that option.

By the way, and just fyi in case someone wasn't aware of this, both WIN+1-9 as well as WIN+ALT+1-9 work from the Start Screen despite the fact that the task bar isn't visible at the time. So, if you have the File Explorer as the first item on the task bar, you could, right from the Start Screen, press WIN+ALT+1 then 'D', then Enter, to get to your pinned documents folder (for example).

EDIT: Ugh...actually....it seems that this doesn't work unless you've already been to the Desktop at least once after booting.

Sigh.....Do you just forget how to use the computer? So let me get this straight. If I click the Desktop tile, I am stuck staring at a blank wallpaper?! There is NOTHING I can do about it?! What did you do in Windows 7? When I click my desktop tile, I am able to see all my desktop shortcuts and folders (something the Start Screen cannot do). For example. I do not need to have every program of Office clogging up my desktop, so I have a Microsoft Office folder on my desktop. I put all the shortcuts needed in there.

SO yes, I click Desktop tile, but then I click a desktop icon.....I like having things organized this way. If you do not, that is fine. But I do. It might not be a better solution for you, that is fine. But this way is much more productive for me.

I do not think I am the one that needs to use common sense. If you would realize people have things set up differently, you would not simply say things like that. I can fit much more icons on my desktop than the Start Screen can hold WITHOUT needing to scroll for ages.

I keep things nice and organized on the desktop with shortcuts and folders (in cases for suites like Office and Adobe CS6). Again, if you want all of your icons visible and scroll and scroll and scroll through dozens and dozens of icons, that is fine. But I prefer my way.

Sigh.....Do you just forget how to use the computer? So let me get this straight. If I click the Desktop tile, I am stuck staring at a blank wallpaper?! There is NOTHING I can do about it?! What did you do in Windows 7? When I click my desktop tile, I am able to see all my desktop shortcuts and folders (something the Start Screen cannot do). For example. I do not need to have every program of Office clogging up my desktop, so I have a Microsoft Office folder on my desktop. I put all the shortcuts needed in there.

SO yes, I click Desktop tile, but then I click a desktop icon.....I like having things organized this way. If you do not, that is fine. But I do. It might not be a better solution for you, that is fine. But this way is much more productive for me.

I do not think I am the one that needs to use common sense. If you would realize people have things set up differently, you would not simply say things like that. I can fit much more icons on my desktop than the Start Screen can hold WITHOUT needing to scroll for ages.

I keep things nice and organized on the desktop with shortcuts and folders (in cases for suites like Office and Adobe CS6). Again, if you want all of your icons visible and scroll and scroll and scroll through dozens and dozens of icons, that is fine. But I prefer my way.

So, you're double clicking into various folders and icons, yet are bothered by a *single* click into the desktop?

Sigh.....Do you just forget how to use the computer? So let me get this straight. If I click the Desktop tile, I am stuck staring at a blank wallpaper?! There is NOTHING I can do about it?! What did you do in Windows 7? When I click my desktop tile, I am able to see all my desktop shortcuts and folders (something the Start Screen cannot do). For example. I do not need to have every program of Office clogging up my desktop, so I have a Microsoft Office folder on my desktop. I put all the shortcuts needed in there.

SO yes, I click Desktop tile, but then I click a desktop icon.....I like having things organized this way. If you do not, that is fine. But I do. It might not be a better solution for you, that is fine. But this way is much more productive for me.

I do not think I am the one that needs to use common sense. If you would realize people have things set up differently, you would not simply say things like that. I can fit much more icons on my desktop than the Start Screen can hold WITHOUT needing to scroll for ages.

I keep things nice and organized on the desktop with shortcuts and folders (in cases for suites like Office and Adobe CS6). Again, if you want all of your icons visible and scroll and scroll and scroll through dozens and dozens of icons, that is fine. But I prefer my way.

In Windows 7, how did you reach that MSOffice shortcuts folder once you had other programs running say browser, media player etc. which covered that portion of your desktop? Your habit is the least efficient method of accessing program shortcuts. You might want to re-think them.